Former Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar delivered a sharp and sharp criticism of Ben Stokes‘Capacity and EnglandGlobal tactical approach during the fourth test recently drawn in Old Trafford. Gavaskar’s commentary focused particularly on the perplexed decision of England to delay their sleeve declaration, wondering why they chose to beat so long when an approach focused on the results seemed more appropriate. His strong opinions reflect a perceived disconnection between the rhetoric of “bazball” of the England of aggressive and intrepid cricket and their real choices on the ground, in particular when a victory was at hand, to be refused by a display of resilient Indian striker.
Sunil Gavaskar questions the timid declaration of England and praises the spirit of India
Gavaskar, known for his direct opinions, has not undermined any word to express his dissatisfaction with the strategic choices of England during the Manchester test. He openly questioned, “Has England beat too long before declaring, because, you know when, when India has given England 600 points to continue, 600 and more rush to continue Birmingham, some of the players from England, when they went out for the press conference later, they said, but they were afraid, and that is why they gave us more than 600 …” This sharp request highlights the conviction of Gavaskar that England has missed a crucial opportunity to push for a victory.
Despite a substantial advance of 311 points and inflicted early damage by rejecting Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal And Sai Sudharsan Without a race on the board on day 4, England could not force a result.
Instead, the match ended in a draw, largely due to a heroic rear guard of India, with crucial partnerships, including an initial recovery led by Skipper Shubman gill And STATfollowed by magnificent undefeated centuries of Washington Sundar and Ravira Jadeja. Gavaskar, filled with pride, said “I’m proud. I am extremely proud of that, this team, for what they did. I mean, only four counters, yes, whatever the terrain, whether it is a good land, a flat terrain, anyway to stay there under pressure, “
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‘Bravado, just a little noisy speech “: the scathing assessment of Gavaskar
Gavaskar’s criticism has also intensified, plunging into the theater and hypocrisy perceived on the English side. He recalled the scene in the last hour when “English captain Ben Stokes offered Jadeja and Sundar the opportunity to end the match with a draw, but the two strikers were not in mood to accept the offer, because the two were about to reach their respective centuries. »» This refusal, noted Gavaskar, led to disgruntled English players sharing a piece of their mind with Indian strikers with remarks like Zak CrawleyThe sarcastic suggestion to beat faster if they wanted a hundred.
“Shubman Gill … if he is at the press conference … I would like him to ask:” Why did you take an advance of 311? ” Why was you not satisfied with an advance of 240? Or 250? After you [Ben Stokes] You have its a hundred, why did you not declare and given your quisters an additional hour to try to get other counters? I know he won’t ask. He is too nice a guy. He is not this SG. That SG is different. But this SG would have asked 100%. And I ask now, “
Gavaskar contrasted this attitude with the previous boastful of England: “… When I remember reading somewhere earlier than you know, a player from England who said, while they were in India, give us 600 more. Give us everything we hunt. This is what in India looked at. Give 600 points. But you ended up 336 running. So it was just a bravado, just a little noisy discussion,” His comments highlight a clear message: the aggressive declarations of intention of England do not always align with their practical decision -making, in particular under pressure, reinforcing his point of view according to which “Not everything can be done according to what the England team wants”, “
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